Cordelia Naismith is enjoying something of a baptism of fire. Her first mission as captain is to lead a throwaway warship of the Betan Expeditionary Force on a mission against an entire enemy armada. But deception and treachery are rife, and Cordelia is soon forced into an uneasy peace with her nemesis: Barrayaran Captain Lord Aral Vorkosigan.
Discovering that astrocartography is not the soundest training for a military leader, Cordelia is outmatched and outmanouvred by her opponent, and rapidly finds herself the prisoner of the Lord Vorkosigan. But the notorious captain - known throughout the galaxy as "The Butcher of Komarr" - is not quite the beast Cordelia was expecting and a grudging respect develops between the two of them.
After further treachery results in captor and prisoner finding themselves alone on an abandoned outpost planet, the honourable captain and the resolute scientist must rely on each others' abilities to survive a trek across dangerous terrain. Provided they don't kill each other first, they might just make it.
